Field of the Invention
This invention relates to hopper spreaders for spreading dry, free flow materials, and more particularly, to a mounting assembly for removably mounting a hopper spreader to a vehicle.
The spreading of salt and/or sand is a requirement in many areas for maintaining roads and driveways during the winter months. Various types of hopper spreader units have been developed for spreading dry, free flow materials, such as salt and sand. Many salt/sand hopper spreader units have been designed for mounting on vehicles such as pick-up trucks, because of the availability of pick-up trucks to those who are involved in road and driveway maintenance.
Because hopper spreader units are not used year round, the salt spreader units are removably mounted on the pick-up truck. Typically, the hopper spreader unit is mounted on the rear of the pick-up truck using a frame that slides over or is otherwise secured to the tailgate back of vehicle and is supported on the bumper of the vehicle. One problem associated with mounting a hopper spreader unit on the rear of a pick-up truck is accessing of the vehicle's cargo bed via the tailgate. Various attempts have been made to improve mounting of such hopper spreader units, including the development of swing-out mounting assemblies. Problems with swing-out hopper spreader units include damage to the hopper spreader unit and/or the vehicle when a loaded hopper spreader unit is pivoted. Other considerations include the time that is required to install a hopper spreader unit on a vehicle and the damage done to the vehicle when the hopper spreader unit is installed. For example, the vehicle bumper may be scratched or damaged if the frame of the hopper spreader is mounted on or otherwise connected to the bumper.
The mounting bracket must be bolted to the top and/or the side wall of the vehicle. This requires that bolt holes be drilled into the top of each of the side walls to secure the bracket to the top of the side walls. The bolt holes permanently disfigure the vehicle and result in rusting of the vehicle around the drilled bolt holes. Also, the outer surface of the tail gate can be damaged if the unit is mounted over the tail gate.
In another known arrangement, a hopper spreader unit is mounted to the vehicle using the existing trailer hitch on the vehicle. In this arrangement, a trailer hitch adapter attached to the frame of the hopper spreader unit includes a tube dimensioned to be received in an opening of the vehicle trailer hitch. The tube of the hitch adapter and the opening of the trailer hitch are rectangular in shape to resist rotation of the hopper spreader unit relative to the vehicle. However, due to the size and shape of the hopper of the hopper spreader unit, there is a tendency for the hopper spreader to rotate or wobble about an axis defined by the axis of the trailer hitch, allowing the hopper to pivot about the trailer hitch.
It is accordingly the primary objective of the present invention that it provide an improved mounting assembly for removably mounting a hopper spreader to a vehicle.
It is another objective of the present invention that it provide a mounting assembly for removably mounting a hopper spreader to a vehicle using the trailer hitch of the vehicle and which prevents the hopper spreader from pivoting about the trailer hitch.
The mounting assembly of the present invention must also be of construction which is both durable and long lasting, and it should also require little or no maintenance to be provided by the user throughout its operating lifetime. In order to enhance the market appeal of the mounting assembly of the present invention, it should also be of inexpensive construction to thereby afford it the broadest possible market. Finally, it is also an objective that all of the aforesaid advantages and objectives be achieved without incurring any substantial relative disadvantage.